Top BBC man charged in child sex probe

By ANTHONY FRANCE

Published: Today
A FORMER BBC boss who worked on Match Of The Day faces 14 child porn charges.
Senior producer Martyn Smith, 44, has been accused of possession of indecent photos of children.


Smith - who masterminded the Sport Relief charity with MOTD host Gary Lineker - was arrested following one of Britain's biggest paedophile investigations. Operation Algebra, led by Scottish police, uncovered 125,000 sick images resulting in the jailing of eight men in May.


The cops alerted Scotland Yard about London-based suspect Smith. Iain Livingstone, Assistant Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "We referred a case to the Met which involved a senior figure at the BBC.


"The individual was in a very senior position and he became apparent to us during Operation Algebra. We passed that information on and he has now been charged and has appeared before a magistrates' court."


Divorced Smith, who took early retirement from the Beeb in 2007, joined BBC Sport 20 years ago.


He was also part of the BBC Sport team that persuaded ex-PM Tony Blair to play tennis against Wimbledon Champion Pat Cash at London's Queen's Tennis Club to publicise the 2004 Sport Relief event.


In 2006, he documented Little Britain star David Walliams's cross-Channel swim.


Smith, of Wandsworth, South West London, appeared before Westminster magistrates on October 12. The case was adjourned.



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2708823/A-former-BBC-boss-who-worked-on-Match-Of-The-Day-faces-14-child-porn-charges.html#ixzz0VgwLFJ7C

MJH1901 wrote:By ANTHONY FRANCE

Published: Today
A FORMER BBC boss who worked on Match Of The Day faces 14 child porn charges.
Senior producer Martyn Smith, 44, has been accused of possession of indecent photos of children.


Smith - who masterminded the Sport Relief charity with MOTD host Gary Lineker - was arrested following one of Britain's biggest paedophile investigations. Operation Algebra, led by Scottish police, uncovered 125,000 sick images resulting in the jailing of eight men in May.


The cops alerted Scotland Yard about London-based suspect Smith. Iain Livingstone, Assistant Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "We referred a case to the Met which involved a senior figure at the BBC.


"The individual was in a very senior position and he became apparent to us during Operation Algebra. We passed that information on and he has now been charged and has appeared before a magistrates' court."


Divorced Smith, who took early retirement from the Beeb in 2007, joined BBC Sport 20 years ago.


He was also part of the BBC Sport team that persuaded ex-PM Tony Blair to play tennis against Wimbledon Champion Pat Cash at London's Queen's Tennis Club to publicise the 2004 Sport Relief event.


In 2006, he documented Little Britain star David Walliams's cross-Channel swim.


Smith, of Wandsworth, South West London, appeared before Westminster magistrates on October 12. The case was adjourned.



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2708823/A-former-BBC-boss-who-worked-on-Match-Of-The-Day-faces-14-child-porn-charges.html#ixzz0VgwLFJ7C

That's very early for retirement, IMHO .

Thanks for the article.

Just an observation, it appears more folks are interested in "other matters" than this highly significant story, I want to at times.

Have a brill time Viv, please don't do anything I wouldn't do............. oh sod it! yer do it if it means you have a good time